Overview

The Schwartz-Bloom laboratory has completed 18 years of research investigating novel pharmacologic approaches to prevent neuronal death caused by cerebral ischemia associated with cardiac arrest and stroke. The group studied how GABA neurotransmission dysfunction contributes to the death of hippocampal neurons after ischemia in vivo or in vitro. Dr. Schwartz-Bloom’s research program continues now exclusively in science education, which she started in 1996. With funds provided by the Duke Provost in 2007, Dr. Schwartz-Bloom established Duke Center for Science Education, an umbrella for all Duke-related activities in science education. She coordinates Duke faculty and student interests in curriculum development, research, and outreach activities in science education for the K-16 grades. Dr. Schwartz-Bloom also directs RISE (Raising Interest in Science Education, http://sites.duke.edu/rise), an office within the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, where she develops and provides novel science education curricular materials in the area of pharmacology to the K-12 and college community. One of the major programs that she developed is the Pharmacology Education Partnership (http://sites.duke.edu/thepepproject), a series of pharmacology- and drug abuse-related science education modules for high school biology and chemistry students. Testing of over 15,000 high school students has revealed that student performance in biology and chemistry improves when they use the pharmacology curriculum developed by her team. Dr. Schwartz-Bloom provides several opportunities for Duke Pharmacology graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to obtain experience in teaching.

This web-based interactive 3D virtual experience will help students learn how smoking cigarettes changes the brain. Developed using virtual reality software that runs the Duke Immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE) , the program is completely interactive for use online by the general public, including high school students in biology, health education, or even neuroscience.

Travel into the avatar’s brain to the “reward pathway”. There, you will interact with nicotine molecules to learn how smoking changes receptors for nicotine on the neurons that provide pleasurable feelings. You’ll take a ride along the reward pathway..woo-hoo! It’s the next best thing to “being there”.

This web-based interactive 3D virtual experience will help students learn how alcohol gets absorbed into the body and chemically changed into a toxic substance. Developed using virtual reality software that runs the Duke immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE) , the program is completely interactive for use online by the general public, including high school chemistry & biology, and college chemistry, biology, biochemistry, & organic chemistry.

Travel into the avatar’s body to follow alcohol molecules through the gastrointestinal tract to the liver. There, you can control the chemical reaction called oxidation, moving molecules in 3D space to generate a toxic metabolite. Finally, learn how genetics changes everything! It’s the next best thing to “being there”.

his 25 minute 3-D animated video created by Gayle Gross de Nunez and Rochelle D. Schwartz-Bloom demonstrates how neurons function and the cellular actions of nicotine, cocaine, and THC. The video won a 1998 CINE Golden Eagle and has been recommended for viewing by the AAAS Science Books & Films. Useful for high school biology, psychology, or health classes, drug educators, health practitioners, police departments, nursing students, physician’s assistant students, etc. Available in VHS and DVD formats from Films for the Humanities and Sciences. A teacher’s guide to the film can also be downloaded at Films.com

This web-based interactive 3D virtual experience will help students learn how smoking cigarettes changes the brain. Developed using virtual reality software that runs the Duke Immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE) , the program is completely interactive for use online by the general public, including high school students in biology, health education, or even neuroscience.

Travel into the avatar’s brain to the “reward pathway”. There, you will interact with nicotine molecules to learn how smoking changes receptors for nicotine on the neurons that provide pleasurable feelings. You’ll take a ride along the reward pathway..woo-hoo! It’s the next best thing to “being there”.

This web-based interactive 3D virtual experience will help students learn how alcohol gets absorbed into the body and chemically changed into a toxic substance. Developed using virtual reality software that runs the Duke immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE) , the program is completely interactive for use online by the general public, including high school chemistry & biology, and college chemistry, biology, biochemistry, & organic chemistry.

Travel into the avatar’s body to follow alcohol molecules through the gastrointestinal tract to the liver. There, you can control the chemical reaction called oxidation, moving molecules in 3D space to generate a toxic metabolite. Finally, learn how genetics changes everything! It’s the next best thing to “being there”.

This web-based interactive 3D virtual experience will help students learn how smoking cigarettes changes the brain. Developed using virtual reality software that runs the Duke Immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE) , the program is completely interactive for use online by the general public, including high school students in biology, health education, or even neuroscience.

Travel into the avatar’s brain to the “reward pathway”. There, you will interact with nicotine molecules to learn how smoking changes receptors for nicotine on the neurons that provide pleasurable feelings. You’ll take a ride along the reward pathway..woo-hoo! It’s the next best thing to “being there”.

This web-based interactive 3D virtual experience will help students learn how alcohol gets absorbed into the body and chemically changed into a toxic substance. Developed using virtual reality software that runs the Duke immersive Virtual Environment (DiVE) , the program is completely interactive for use online by the general public, including high school chemistry & biology, and college chemistry, biology, biochemistry, & organic chemistry.

Travel into the avatar’s body to follow alcohol molecules through the gastrointestinal tract to the liver. There, you can control the chemical reaction called oxidation, moving molecules in 3D space to generate a toxic metabolite. Finally, learn how genetics changes everything! It’s the next best thing to “being there”.